


Danganronpa: City of Despair

by FruitfulCherry



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Danganronpa
Genre: Best Friends, Bittersweet?, Character Death, Daichi can step on me, Eliza is a KINKY BITCH, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Fluff and Angst, Friends to Enemies, Hana is a good girl!!!, Hayato is a cutie!!!, Hiyaku is angry and short, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Kahoru just needs a hug man, Kanashi and Hikaru are actually adorable um, Kyou is Kyou, M/M, Maho is a magical gorl, Maindo is a small angry man, Male-Female Friendship, Mamiko is a thot, Migaki is a sweetie, Monokuma (Dangan Ronpa) Being An Asshole, Monokuma is a little shit, Mostly from Eliza, Multi, Naka probably sees dead spirits, Omaro omg, Other, Pon-Pon is a QUEEN, Puhuhuhu, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sexual Humor, So is Amai, THH as well, That flower man, You'll see that too, it's sad really, oof!, protect him, slight spoilers for SDR2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-10 07:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17421557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FruitfulCherry/pseuds/FruitfulCherry
Summary: 17 elite students from across the country are chosen to attend the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy. Apparently, anyone who's scouted and accepted by the academy is practically guaranteed a successful, hope-filled future. The chosen students are expected to develop their talents and grow stronger to help shape the next generation of Ultimates. However, unbeknowst to them, their strength will be pushed to its very limits.Then, soon, they'll come to a realization.Their future isn't filled with hope; it's filled with despair.





	Danganronpa: City of Despair

**Author's Note:**

> look man this took too long to write so if its bad then,,, oops i dont really care but yknow feel free to share your thoughts. predictions, too. i'm actually excited to hear what people think will happen and see if everything's a bit too predictable or if it'll take y'all by surprise ;))

Hope's Peak Academy. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd definitely call it fancy - actually, that's one of the reasons I was shocked to be standing there. The building seemed to tower above me, anxiety clawing at my chest as I shakily gripped my backpack, which I had slung lazily over my shoulder. It's not that I was scared, I reassured myself. I'm sure any normal Ultimate would be just as nervous as I was standing here. The pressure to inspire a new generation...

Well, it's not like I can say that I'm _definitely_ a normal Ultimate, anyway.

I was scouted by the academy, sure, but I don't have an ordinary talent like everyone else who's hand-picked by the prestigious school. I merely won because I was lucky. That's right, the only reason an ordinary girl like me was standing in front of such a well-known school... was because I'd won a raffle. It's better than nothing, so I leapt at the opportunity. 

Still a bit underwhelming, though. I had worked all my life to get accepted into this school, and to be invited just for being lucky...

I shook my head, clearing away any more negativity I had left in me. I gripped my backpack, still, with newfound determination. Determination to succeed, to instill hope in the minds and hearts of the next generation. If I could prove that an ordinary person could do just that, that'd be fine in my book. Taking that first step into the building that continued to taunt me, urge me forward, I felt energy surge through my entire body...

Until it all faded away.

My vision swirled, blurred, meshed together until I couldn't make out what was happening anymore. My eyes stung, my limbs felt numb, and I couldn't move my body. My attempts to scream or cry were silenced by an unknown force that I still can't decipher. This continued forever, until the world finally came crashing down on me.

Everything went black.

* * *

 Light forced its way into my vision, causing my eyes to flutter open. I let out a confused groan, burying my head into my soft pillow. "Urgh, five more minutes..."

_Wait, pillow?_

I shot up, and my eyes widened at the sudden realization. Just a few moments ago, I was stepping into Hope's Peak for the first time, so how did I...?

I felt anxiety start to build up in my chest, my breathing beginning to get heavier. I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember how I had gotten here. Was I abducted? Kidnapped? Was anyone else there with me? Where are my parents? Where am I?

I took a few deep breaths of air, trying to recall everything I _did_ remember.

My name is Amai Hachimitsu. I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student, and was chosen to enter Hope's Peak Academy via an annual raffle. I was currently in an unknown location, potentially kidnapped by someone.

"Alright..." I lifted my body up, my vision still hazy. It was odd. Surely, if I were kidnapped somehow, I'd have _some_ recollection of it, right? I shook my head, brushing off the thought for now. I'd find the answer later. For now, I'd have to look for anyone else. Maybe I'm not the only one who was kidnapped.

I studied my surroundings; it seemed like a pretty standard room. Bed, windows, dressers, a desk, a chair, a desk lamp, and a maximum of two vents. There were a few motivational posters on the wall, which I thought were an interesting touch, but they didn't seem relevant at the moment. I pushed open the door slowly, growing impatient as it creaked loudly. Taking a step into what appeared to be a short hallway, I let out a sigh. This was so confusing...

My footsteps echoed across the halls, though I tried to make them light just in case my kidnappers came back for me. Suppressing a shudder, I made my way into what appeared to be the kitchen. There were several knives neatly placed along the counters, several drawers which I'm sure were filled with even more sharp weapons, and two oddly-placed vents. They must lead to the bedroom. 

I turned on my heel and stepped back into the hallway, already growing sick of this place. Everything felt... off, to put it simply. Not that the feeling itself was strange, though, considering I'd never been in this place before.

"Eh?" I paused in front of a narrow stairway. Surely nobody would notice if I...? I hesitantly placed my foot on the top step, mentally cursing as it creaked gently. I'd just have to be quick about it. 

 _Creak, creak, creak._ I bit my lip anxiously, shielding my eyes from the light pouring in from the windows. Geez, if they wanted to keep me trapped here, they're doing a really bad job...

At least... that's what I thought at first.

The stairs lead to yet another door, which I pushed open with extreme caution. It seemed to be some kind of lobby...? Maybe this was some kind of apartment building. As I pushed the door further, the creaking was drowned out by the sound of voices - voices I had never heard before. My heart pounded in my chest, refusing to stop. That made it more difficult to make out what they were saying...

_"There's supposed to be seventeen of us, I think..."_

_"Yes, I believe so..."_

_"Duh! That's what it said, right?"_

_"Unless y'all got cotton in all your holes, that should be preeetty obvious!"_

_"Hey, hey! Not all of us got a note, y'know!"_

_"That's strange though, isn't it?"_

_"...Why are we here?"_

_"I dunno, but as long as I got a bedroom I'm all good!"_

_"Revolting."_

My curiosity continued to increase. I leaned forward - my first mistake in this hellish world. The door swung open, and I landed on the floor with a loud  _THUD_ that echoed throughout the lobby.

There were several figures staring at me, in a variety of sizes. Could these possibly be my kidnappers...? No, it didn't sound like it. Maybe... they're like me. I shakily rose to my feet and brushed myself off, giving an awkward wave. "Umm... hello?"

"It appears we've found yet another one," A monotone voice commented. The person the voice belonged to seem relatively unphased by the situation. She seemed to be some sort of scientist, judging by her lab coat and goggles. "That makes... seventeen of us, no?"

"Fuuuck yeah!" A red-haired girl cheered, pumping a fist in the air. Could she be a magician? Judging from her red-and-black theme and her clothing, I can definitely see she has some sort of 'queen-of-hearts' theme going for her.

"Hey, calm your tits," A girl with braids scoffed, crossing her arms. "We still don't know what the hell is going on! Ah, I could just drop dead right here...!"

_Geez, overdramatic much...?_

"Hi, hi, hi, hi!" A small figure smiled up at me. "Are you okay, miss?? You fell pretty hard..." She looked like she'd be someone's little sister rather than a student at Hope's Peak... acts like it, too.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," I reassured, backing away from the beaming, blue-haired girl. Too close. Though, I did get a better look at her. Her hoodie looked like it was too big for her, and her hair was short and wild. The clips really didn't do anything, either, so I assumed they were just for show.

"Calm down, Kyou, you're scaring her!" A girl, who looked to be around the same height as me, scolded. "My apologies for her! She's quite energetic!" She looked like an artist of sorts. The smock kind of gave it away...

"R-really, it's fine..." I offered a grin, folding my hands in front of myself. "Anyway, you all seem to be well-acquainted... um, I feel out of place."

"Then tell us your name, bitch!" The girl with the braids commanded, pointing at me dramatically. 

"A-Amai Hachimitsu! Ultimate Lucky Student!" I put my hands up defensively, earning a few chuckles from the group. 

"It's quite nice to meet you, Amai!" A bubbly girl piped up, holding a small flowerpot in her arms. Did she just wake up with a flower, or...?? "My name is Hana Hiyashinsu!"

I tilted my head curiously, my gaze sweeping over the figures. It was odd... they all seemed to be around my age. Were they Hope's Peak students as well? 

"What's wrong, Amai? You look pale. Like, you could be a ghost or something!" The short girl -- Kyou, I recalled -- gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "Are you a ghost?! 'Cause, if you were a ghost, it'd be super scary and junk! I think..."

"A ghost?" Another girl's piercing red gaze snapped over to us. She looked uninterested just a few minutes prior, but... "Would you like to hear about the occult?"

"She does that sometimes! It's weird! And kinda spooky... Naka sure is an oddball, huh? But I think it's all part of her charm." Kyou whispered loudly to me. I cringed at her volume... the other girl, Naka, could probably hear us.

"Ah.. s-sorry,"

"It doesn't matter," Naka shrugged, brushing her silver bangs out of her face so she could get a better look at me. At least, I'm assuming so. "Would you like to hear about the occult?"

Didn't she already...? "Umm, no thanks. Maybe later, though...?" In all honesty, I did _not_ want to hear about the occult. Still, though, it's better not to be rude. Naka gave me a brief thumbs up, before turning away from me and approaching a few others. There was no doubt in my mind that she was probably going to ask them the same question.

"Aaaanywho," Kyou snapped me out of my thoughts, twirling around with a goofy grin upon her face. "I'm gonna head off! See ya!" With a friendly wave, Kyou skipped off to bother everyone else.

_She must be a handful..._

I let out a groan of annoyance as I was yet again pulled from my thoughts by the sound of buzzing static. I had grown used to the static buzzing in my head, like I was missing something, but this was different. It came from a suspicious-looking screen in the corner of the room. I felt a pit of anxiety forming in my chest, though I hadn't realized why.

My questions would soon be answered.

Laughter that was eerily cheerful echoed throughout the room. The screen didn't cease it's buzzing, however.

 _"Puhuhuhu! Testing, testing! Is this thing on?"_ I squinted up at the screen, as did several others in the room. _"Oookay everyone! Please make your way to the hotel lobby at your earliest convenience!"_

"Aren't we already in the lobby?" The red-haired girl huffed, a hand resting on her hip. Naka shrugged, absentmindedly playing with a strand of her silver hair. 

"Remember there are supposed to be seventeen of us in total," The girl with the goggles reminded, her expression and posture unchanging. I tapped my finger to my chin curiously as I hummed in thought.

"That's right," I spoke aloud, half to myself, but mostly to the others in the room standing before me. "I think you mentioned that there was only nine of us here." I counted nine people in the room, that's for sure. Maybe a few people were hiding? Or, perhaps, they had awoken elsewhere.

After a few moments of debating (and standing around in painful silence), people began pouring into the room, one after another. They were like a flock of birds trying to fly south. Except, well... they weren't flying. 

The first person to catch my attention was a green-haired guy with spiked hair and a medical bag slung over his shoulder. He also wore a scarf, which seemed to stick out in multiple different directions in the back. Another thing to note was that this guy was  _tall._   _Really tall._ He couldn't be anywhere under 5'7", at the very least. 

"Hello," I waved to the tall boy as he entered the hotel lobby. His eyebrows were furrowed, his expression concentrated. I couldn't really blame him; I think we were all kind of confused as to what exactly was going on. If my earlier theory was correct, and we  _were_ all students at Hope's Peak Academy, it was strange as to why we weren't there right now. And this place... I don't remember ever being here once before in my entire life. "My name is Amai Hatchimitsu."

His reply was muffled by the scarf that covered his face. I leaned in closer so I could understand him better... didn't really help, now that I think about it. It just seemed to make him more uncomfortable. I'm not really the best on picking up on these types of things. I should probably get out more...

"I'm sorry, could you please speak a little louder?"

"H-Hayato Tatchi."

"Ah!" I exclaimed, pleased to have finally understood what came out of the tall boy's mouth. "Pleased to meet you."

"...Likewise," His gaze drifted off in another direction, as if his attention was focused elsewhere. It didn't anger me, per se, but it was a bit... frustrating. I suppose he was nervous, which would probably explain his fidgeting and avoidance of eye-contact, but still...

"So, um... that announcement, huh? What's up with that?" I chuckled awkwardly, hoping to evoke some sort of emotional reaction from this guy... Hayato, I think he said. 

He simply shrugged, burying himself further into his scarf. I resisted the urge to start pouting, instead forcing an awkward grin. "Right, so um..."

_"Puhuhuhu!"_

Our eyes instantly snapped over to the source of that eerie laugh. And what we saw...

"Hello, hello, hello!" 

...Was an odd black-and-white bear. A stuffed bear, to be precise. But how was it moving or talking? Did... our kidnappers drug us...?

"What the flying  _fuck_ is that thing?" The red-hair girl inquired loudly. It wouldn't be surprising if the bear somehow heard her...  well, at least it looks like I'm not the only one who sees it.

"I am Monokuma!" The 'Monokuma' laughed again, tilting his head curiously. "I'll be your guide through this dazzling city life!"

"'Dazzling city life'...?" A student echoed, cringing at the bear's high-pitched laughter.

"Fret not! You'll understand everything soon. Puhuhuhu!"

"How about you shut your Mickey Mouse-sounding ass the fuck up and let us outta this hellhole already?" 

"My, my! Quite the vocabulary you have there! I regret to inform you that we are a  _family friendly_ program!" Monokuma looked a bit irritated (how does he??), but didn't make any threatening remarks, other than the rather aggressive way he said 'family friendly'.

"Eh? Family friendly?"

"Do you want to hear about the occult?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Guys, stop arguing," Hana cast a glance towards the other students. "He may be a bit... odd... but we should listen to what Monokuma has to say."

"Are you high?" The magician huffed, crossing her arms. "It's a fucking stuffed bear.  _A stuffed bear_. I'm not gonna 'listen to what he has to say'," She made air-quotes before swiftly turning towards the entrance. 

"Whereever do you think you're going?" The scientist didn't seem to care much, but she asked anyhow... do these people have trouble expressing their emotions or something? They're like zombies...

"Out,  _duh_. I don't have to listen to this BS." 

Monokuma giggled in the background as the entrance locked just as the red-haired girl was about to leave. 

"What the hell??"

"Looks like you  _do_ have to listen," I mumbled underneath my breath, holding back a slight laugh. I wasn't enjoying the situation, but... yeah. She kinda deserved that.

"Aaanyway," Monokuma started dismissively, brushing off the situation. For now, anyway. "Let me explain what you're getting into!"

Hayato watched with piqued curiousity, and I couldn't help but relate. I didn't exactly understand what was happening, or why we were here... if we're all Hope's Peak students, there has to be some kind of reason, right? Was this some kind of test?

I hadn't realized at the time, but... in a way, it was a test.

A test of our strength. Our problem-solving. Our patience. Our sanity.

...Our hope. Our survival.

"You might be wondering, 'Mister Monokuma! Why are we in this wonderful place that you prepared for us? You're so generous and thoughtful! My body becomes hot when I think of you, Mister Monokuma!'"

"Nobody is--"

"Well, to answer your question..." Monokuma's weird grin seemed to widen somehow. Weird. This whole thing is weird. "You're all going to be living in this hotel... permanently!"

"P-permanently?!" I spluttered, trying to resist the urge to run out of the building... well, not like I really could, anyway. Monokuma locked the doors.

"Puhuhuhu! That's right! But it's okay, because we have everything that you could ever want or need! Food, water, entertainment... a truly fulfilling city life!"

"But we have friends! We have family!"

"Yeah, you stupid mean bear! I gotta inspire looots of people! This is such a small group compared to what I'm used to! Let us out!"

"Geez, you kids are so selfish," Monokuma looked down, dejected. "I set up this nice, large hotel for you... and this is the thanks I get..."

"Maybe because you trapped us in a place where we have no chance of escape,"

"Yeah! You fucking bear-whore! Go suck on a pot of honey or some shit!"

 "I'm so depressed now... you kids reaaally know how to bully someone." Monokuma almost looked genuinely upset. Well, as upset as he  _could_ look, really. But still.

"A question, if I may," The purple-haired scientist raised her hand slowly, expression calm. "What is the point of this 'dazzling city life' that you mentioned? I am quite curious."

"Puhuhu... puhuhuhu!" 

"I didn't say anything funny,"

"I just realized, I forgot to mention... there _is_ a way to escape."

I felt a pit of anxiety forming in my chest. What is this crazy bear planning?

"Oh. Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"I guess you could say.." Monokuma paused, humming. "I was saving the best for last! Yes! To escape from this city, you have to kill one of your classmates without getting caught!"

The room went silent. The air was heavy, much like my own breathing. Killing our classmates..? Nobody in this room seemed like they could kill another person. Was this some kind of prank? It had to be...

And yet...

"...'Without getting caught'? What do you mean?" Hayato spoke up, breaking the lingering, disheartening silence. I looked up at him with surprise. For him of all people to speak up...

"Puhuhuhu! Glad you asked!" Monokuma jumped down from the desk he was standing on, looking up at all the frightened or worried or confused faces of the students. "If you kill someone and become blackened, you have to do it without your classmates finding out! You have to make it out fair-and-square! You have to survive the _Class Trial._ "

"Class Trial?"

"In a Class Trial, the blackened goes against the spotless students, as they debate on the identity of the culprit!"

"Hey," I spoke up without thinking, Monokuma's frighteningly cheerful gaze turning in my direction. "What happens... if we figure out who the culprit is!"

"Execution!"

I almost choked on the air around me. It was as if someone had locked their grip around my neck and punched me in the gut at the same time.

_The undeniable feeling of nausea was something, no doubt, that I would soon get used to._


End file.
